Floating Frame-Based Channel Occupancy Time In Fixed Frame Period In Mobile Communications

ABSTRACT

Examples pertaining to a floating frame-based channel occupancy time (COT) in a fixed frame period (FFP) in mobile communications are described. An apparatus implemented in FBE performs clear channel assessment (CCA) of a channel. The apparatus then transmits during a COT within a FFP in response to the CCA indicating the channel to be clear for transmission.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION(S)

The present disclosure is part of a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/836,918, filed 1 Apr. 2020 and claiming thepriority benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/827,918, filed 2 Apr.2019. Contents of aforementioned applications are herein incorporated byreference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to mobile communicationsand, more particularly, to techniques pertaining to a floatingframe-based channel occupancy time in a fixed frame period in mobilecommunications.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this sectionare not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted asprior art by inclusion in this section.

Currently, an European Telecommunications Standards Institute(ETSI)-compliant frame-based equipment (FBE) cannot coexist with anotherETSI-compliant FBE on the same shared unlicensed spectrum frequencyband, and the FBE with the lower fixed frame period (FFP) woulddominate. That is, in case both FBEs have the same FFP, one of themwould completely dominate or the transmissions from both wouldcompletely collide. There is presently no prioritization mechanism toaddress this issue and, hence, there is a need for a solution.

SUMMARY

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to belimiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided tointroduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel andnon-obvious techniques described herein. Select implementations arefurther described below in the detailed description. Thus, the followingsummary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimedsubject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope ofthe claimed subject matter.

One objective of the present disclosure is to propose various schemes,concepts, designs, techniques, methods and apparatuses to address theaforementioned issue. For instance, it is believed that some proposedschemes in accordance with the present disclosure would allowcoordination between FBE devices sharing the same unlicensed frequencyband. Moreover, it is believed that some proposed schemes in accordancewith the present disclosure would allow the channel occupancy time (COT)of an FBE device to float within its respective FFP. Accordingly,various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure wouldallow fair sharing of shared unlicensed spectrum amongst FBE devices andcoordination would not be required for floating COT within a FFP.

In one aspect, a method may involve a processor of an apparatus,implemented in a FBE, performing clear channel assessment (CCA) of achannel. Additionally, the method may involve the processor transmittingduring a COT within a FFP responsive to the CCA indicating the channelto be clear for transmission.

In another aspect, a method may involve a processor of an apparatus,implemented in a FBE, determining a selected number of observation slotsfor CCA before a COT within a FFP. The method also involve the processorperforming the CCA of the channel during the determined number ofobservation slots. The method may further involve the processortransmitting during the COT responsive to the CCA indicating the channelto be clear for transmission.

In yet another aspect, an apparatus implemented in a FBE may include atransceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The transceivermay be configured to communicate with at least a network node. Theprocessor may be configured to perform, via the transceiver, CCA of achannel. The processor may be also configured to transmit, via thetransceiver, during a COT within a FFP responsive to the CCA indicatingthe channel to be clear for transmission.

It is noteworthy that, although description provided herein may be inthe context of certain radio access technologies, networks and networktopologies such as 5th Generation (5G)/New Radio (NR) mobile networking,the proposed concepts, schemes and any variation(s)/derivative(s)thereof may be implemented in, for and by other types of wireless andwired communication technologies, networks and network topologies suchas, for example and without limitation, Ethernet, Evolved Packet System(EPS), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved UTRAN(E-UTRAN), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), General PacketRadio Service (GPRS)/Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE)Radio Access Network (GERAN), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced,LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet-of-Things (IoT), IndustrialInternet-of-Things (IIoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), andany future-developed networking technologies. Thus, the scope of thepresent disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate implementationsof the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explainthe principles of the disclosure. It is appreciable that the drawingsare not necessarily in scale as some components may be shown to be outof proportion than the size in actual implementation in order to clearlyillustrate the concept of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example network environment in which varioussolutions and schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may beimplemented.

FIG. 2 shows an example scenario in accordance with an implementation ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example communication system inaccordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED IMPLEMENTATIONS

Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject mattersare disclosed herein. However, it shall be understood that the disclosedembodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimedsubject matters which may be embodied in various forms. The presentdisclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments andimplementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodimentsand implementations are provided so that description of the presentdisclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope ofthe present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the descriptionbelow, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments andimplementations.

Overview

Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure relate tovarious techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions pertaining to afloating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobile communications. According tothe present disclosure, a number of possible solutions may beimplemented separately or jointly. That is, although these possiblesolutions may be described below separately, two or more of thesepossible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment 100 in which varioussolutions and schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may beimplemented. FIG. 2 illustrates example scenario 200 in accordance withan implementation of the present disclosure. Scenario 200 may beimplemented in network environment 100. The following description ofvarious proposed schemes is provided with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.2.

Referring to FIG. 1, network environment 100 may involve a UE 110 and atleast another UE 130 in wireless communication with a wireless network120 (e.g., a 5G NR mobile network). Either or both of UE 110 and UE 130may be in wireless communication with wireless network 120 via a basestation or network node 125 (e.g., an eNB, gNB or transmit-receive point(TRP)). Each of UE 110 and UE 130 may be a FBE. In network environment100, UE 110, UE 130 and wireless network 120 may implement variousschemes pertaining to a floating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobilecommunications in accordance with the present disclosure, as describedherein.

Referring to FIG. 2, part (A) shows a currently defined ETSI FBEadaptivity and part (B) shows an example floating FBE adaptivity under aproposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure. Adaptivity ismeant to be defined in such a way to allow multiple devices to fairlyparticipate in shared spectrum access. ETSI FBE adaptivity allows asingle FBE to somewhat fairly share access with other load-basedequipment (LBE) but not with any other FBE. For example, among two ormore FBEs, the FBE with the shorter/shortest FFP would almost always(e.g. 95% of the time) dominate over the other FBE(s). Thus, FBEssharing a common FFP would consistently collide in case their FFPs arealigned; otherwise, one FBE with earlier phase would always (e.g., 100%of the time) dominate over other FBE(s). Clearly, there is a need for aFBE adaptivity rule that enables FBEs to share a channel with otherFBEs.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure,frame-based COT floating in a FFP may be allowed or otherwise enabled.In particular, under the proposed scheme, any COT may be prepended witha random number of CCA slots of duration n μs where the channel issensed to be free (or not). For instance, n μs may be 9 μs to align with9 μs LBE and current FBE slots or it may be different in duration (e.g.,longer or shorter than 9 μs). Moreover, under the proposed scheme, theCCA period may be different than (e.g., not exceeding) an enforced idleperiod of a FFP. For instance, the CCA period may be equal to or lessthan a maximum idle period currently defined by ETSI as max (100 μs, 5%of the COT)/n. Additionally, under the proposed scheme, a FBE (e.g., UE110) may perform transmission after an observation slot period is sensedfree (e.g., clear for transmission). The observation slot period mayselected randomly, selected in a round-robin manner, or assigned by asupervising device (e.g., UE 130, another UE (not shown), or networknode 125). Accordingly, the proposed scheme effectively ‘floats’ the COTperiod within the FFP, while still maintaining a regular FFP, as shownin part (B) of FIG. 2. Put differently, the proposed scheme inserts arandom phase in the FFP. Therefore, the proposed scheme would allow oneFBE (e.g., UE 110) to coexist with one or more other FBEs (e.g., UE130). Advantageously, adaptivity procedure may become simpler, lowerpower may be required for performing CCA, and access to shared spectrummay be predictable through regular FFP. For instance, advanced receiverarchitecture, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP), may be allowed.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, toachieve frame-based COT floating in a FFP, a FBE (e.g., UE 110) mayselect a random number in a range of [0, CW], where CW (denoting“contention window”) may or may not be greater than max (100 μs, 5% ofthe COT)/n (e.g., with n being 9 μs). Under the proposed scheme, CW maybe fixed or adjustable based on measured congestion experienced on achannel in concern. Under the proposed scheme, a value of CW greaterthan max (100 μs, 5% of the COT) may imply that there is no access on aparticular access attempt. It is believed that the proposed scheme wouldhave no impact on other competing LBE's ability to gain channel access.On the other hand, it is believed that the proposed scheme would enablea FBE to prioritize access to a channel by either selecting from areduced random set by reducing CW or selecting multiple observationslots in which possible transmission may occur. The multiple observationslots may be selected randomly, selected in a round-robin manner, orassigned by a supervising device (e.g., UE 130, another UE (not shown),or network node 125).

For instance, the FBE (e.g., UE 110) may divide a pause period intomultiple CW observation slots (e.g., 9 μs in a 5 GHz band), and CW maybe limited to a maximum value CW_max. The FBE may then select a randomnumber q in the range of [0, CW] and sense a carrier using CCA after qobservation slots, and access may be granted if available. Under theproposed scheme, the value of q may continue to count down in subsequentobservation slots in case access has not been granted or a new randomnumber may be drawn. Moreover, under the proposed scheme, priority fortransmission may be based on FFP and CW_max.

In view of the above, it is believed that one of ordinary skill in theart would appreciate that the proposed schemes allow coordinationbetween FBEs sharing the same unlicensed frequency band (e.g., by usingsome fair sharing mechanism such as a round-robin scheme). It is alsobelieved that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that theproposed schemes allow a FBE's COT to float within its FFP. In contrast,currently, unlike LBEs, FBEs have no prioritization mechanism. CurrentlyFBEs also have no priority classes.

Illustrative Implementations

FIG. 3 illustrates an example communication system 300 having at leastan example apparatus 310 and an example apparatus 320 in accordance withan implementation of the present disclosure. Each of apparatus 310 andapparatus 320 may perform various functions to implement schemes,techniques, processes and methods described herein pertaining to afloating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobile communications, includingthe various schemes described above with respect to various proposeddesigns, concepts, schemes, systems and methods described above,including network environment 100, as well as processes described below.

Each of apparatus 310 and apparatus 320 may be a part of an electronicapparatus, which may be a network apparatus or a UE (e.g., UE 110), suchas a portable or mobile apparatus, a wearable apparatus, a vehiculardevice or a vehicle, a wireless communication apparatus or a computingapparatus. For instance, each of apparatus 310 and apparatus 320 may beimplemented in a smartphone, a smart watch, a personal digitalassistant, an electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, a digitalcamera, or a computing equipment such as a tablet computer, a laptopcomputer or a notebook computer. Each of apparatus 310 and apparatus 320may also be a part of a machine type apparatus, which may be an IoTapparatus such as an immobile or a stationary apparatus, a homeapparatus, a roadside unit (RSU), a wire communication apparatus or acomputing apparatus. For instance, each of apparatus 310 and apparatus320 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart fridge, a smartdoor lock, a wireless speaker or a home control center. When implementedin or as a network apparatus, apparatus 310 and/or apparatus 320 may beimplemented in an eNodeB in an LTE, LTE-Advanced or LTE-Advanced Pronetwork or in a gNB or TRP in a 5G network, an NR network or an IoTnetwork.

In some implementations, each of apparatus 310 and apparatus 320 may beimplemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chipssuch as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-coreprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or morecomplex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors, or one or morereduced-instruction-set-computing (RISC) processors. In the variousschemes described above, each of apparatus 310 and apparatus 320 may beimplemented in or as a network apparatus or a UE. Each of apparatus 310and apparatus 320 may include at least some of those components shown inFIG. 3 such as a processor 312 and a processor 322, respectively, forexample. Each of apparatus 310 and apparatus 320 may further include oneor more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of thepresent disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/oruser interface device), and, thus, such component(s) of apparatus 310and apparatus 320 are neither shown in FIG. 3 nor described below in theinterest of simplicity and brevity.

In one aspect, each of processor 312 and processor 322 may beimplemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one ormore multi-core processors, or one or more CISC or RISC processors. Thatis, even though a singular term “a processor” is used herein to refer toprocessor 312 and processor 322, each of processor 312 and processor 322may include multiple processors in some implementations and a singleprocessor in other implementations in accordance with the presentdisclosure. In another aspect, each of processor 312 and processor 322may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, optionally, firmware)with electronic components including, for example and withoutlimitation, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or morecapacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or morememristors and/or one or more varactors that are configured and arrangedto achieve specific purposes in accordance with the present disclosure.In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processor 312and processor 322 is a special-purpose machine specifically designed,arranged and configured to perform specific tasks including thosepertaining to a floating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobilecommunications in accordance with various implementations of the presentdisclosure.

In some implementations, apparatus 310 may also include a transceiver316 coupled to processor 312. Transceiver 316 may be capable ofwirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations,transceiver 316 may be capable of wirelessly communicating withdifferent types of wireless networks of different radio accesstechnologies (RATs). In some implementations, transceiver 316 may beequipped with a plurality of antenna ports (not shown) such as, forexample, four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 316 may be equippedwith multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas formultiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications. In someimplementations, apparatus 320 may also include a transceiver 326coupled to processor 322. Transceiver 326 may include a transceivercapable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In someimplementations, transceiver 326 may be capable of wirelesslycommunicating with different types of UEs/wireless networks of differentRATs. In some implementations, transceiver 326 may be equipped with aplurality of antenna ports (not shown) such as, for example, fourantenna ports. That is, transceiver 326 may be equipped with multipletransmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wirelesscommunications.

In some implementations, apparatus 310 may further include a memory 314coupled to processor 312 and capable of being accessed by processor 312and storing data therein. In some implementations, apparatus 320 mayfurther include a memory 324 coupled to processor 322 and capable ofbeing accessed by processor 322 and storing data therein. Each of memory314 and memory 324 may include a type of random-access memory (RAM) suchas dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM) and/orzero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or additionally, each ofmemory 314 and memory 324 may include a type of read-only memory (ROM)such as mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM(EPROM) and/or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM).Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 314 and memory 324 mayinclude a type of non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM) such asflash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM),magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) and/or phase-change memory.

Each of apparatus 310 and apparatus 320 may be a communication entitycapable of communicating with each other using various proposed schemesin accordance with the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes andwithout limitation, a description of capabilities of apparatus 310, as aUE (e.g., UE 110), and apparatus 320, as a network node (e.g., networknode 125) of a wireless network (e.g., wireless network 120 as a 5G/NRmobile network), is provided below.

In one aspect of a floating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobilecommunications in accordance with the present disclosure, processor 312of apparatus 310, implemented in a FBE (e.g., UE 110), may perform, viatransceiver 316, CCA of a channel of wireless communication between UE110 and network node 125 of wireless network 120. Moreover, processor312 may transmit, via transceiver 316, to network node 125 during a COTwithin a FFP in response to the CCA indicating the channel to be clearfor transmission.

In some implementations, in performing the CCA of the channel, processor312 may perform the CCA of the channel before the COT and within theFFP.

In some implementations, in performing the CCA of the channel, processor312 may perform certain operations. For instance, processor 312 mayprepend the COT with one or more observation slots. Additionally,processor 312 may sense the channel using the CCA during the one or moreobservation slots. In such cases, a duration of the one or moreobservation slots may be different than (e.g., less than or equal to) anidle period of the FFP. In some implementations, a number of observationslots of the one or more observation slots may be selected so that theone or more observation slots align with a predefined number of LBEslots.

Alternatively, in performing the CCA of the channel, processor 312 mayperform other operations. For instance, processor 312 may divide a pauseperiod in the FFP into a first number of observation slots.Additionally, processor 312 may select a second number of theobservation slots, with the second number different than (e.g., lessthan or equal to or, alternatively, greater than) the first number.Moreover, processor 312 may sense the channel using the CCA after thesecond number of observation slots and before the COT. In someimplementations, the second number may be in a range of [0, contentionwindow]. In such cases, the contention window may be different than(e.g., less than or equal to) a maximum idle period expressed as max(100 μs, 5% of the COT)/n, and n may be 9 μs.

In some implementations, in performing the CCA of the channel, processor312 may prioritize access to the channel. In prioritizing the access tothe channel, processor 312 may perform certain operations. For instance,processor 312 may divide a pause period in the FFP into a plurality ofobservation slots. Moreover, processor 312 may select one or moreobservation slots from the plurality of observation slots by either: (a)selecting from a random subset of the plurality of observation slots; or(b) selecting multiple observation slots from the plurality ofobservation slots in which transmission is likely. Furthermore,processor 312 may sense the channel using the CCA during the selectedone or more observation slots.

In some implementations, a duration of the CCA may not exceed an idleperiod of the FFP. In some implementations, the idle period of the FFPmay be either a predefined period of time or a predefined percentage ofthe COT. In such cases, the predefined period of time may be 100 μs andthe predefined percentage of the COT may be 5%.

In another aspect of a floating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobilecommunications in accordance with the present disclosure, processor 312of apparatus 310, implemented in a FBE (e.g., UE 110), may determine aselected number of observation slots for CCA before a COT within a FFP.Additionally, processor 312 may perform, via transceiver 316, the CCA ofthe channel during the determined number of observation slots. Moreover,processor 312 may transmit, via transceiver 316, during the COTresponsive to the CCA indicating the channel to be clear fortransmission.

In some implementations, in determining the selected number ofobservation slots, processor 312 may perform one of a number ofoperations. For instance, processor 312 may randomly select the selectednumber of observation slots, with the selected number being in a rangeof [0, contention window]. Alternatively, processor 312 may select theselected number of observation slots in a round-robin manner. Stillalternatively, processor 312 may receive an assignment of the selectednumber of observation slots from a supervising device (e.g., UE 130,another UE, or network node 125).

In some implementations, the contention window may be different than(e.g., less than or equal to) a maximum idle period expressed as max(100 μs, 5% of the COT)/n. In such cases, n may be 9 μs.

Illustrative Processes

FIG. 4 illustrates an example process 400 in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure. Process 400 may represent anaspect of implementing various proposed designs, concepts, schemes,systems and methods described above, whether partially or entirely,including those pertaining to FIG. 1-FIG. 3. More specifically, process400 may represent an aspect of the proposed concepts and schemespertaining to a floating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobilecommunications. Process 400 may include one or more operations, actions,or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 410 and 420.Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process 400may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, oreliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Moreover, theblocks/sub-blocks of process 400 may be executed in the order shown inFIG. 4 or, alternatively in a different order. Furthermore, one or moreof the blocks/sub-blocks of process 400 may be executed iteratively.Process 400 may be implemented by or in apparatus 310 and apparatus 320as well as any variations thereof. Solely for illustrative purposes andwithout limiting the scope, process 400 is described below in thecontext of apparatus 310 as a UE (e.g., UE 110) and apparatus 320 as acommunication entity such as a network node or base station (e.g.,network node 125) of a wireless network (e.g., wireless network 120).Process 400 may begin at block 410.

At 410, process 400 may involve processor 312 of apparatus 310,implemented in a FBE (e.g., UE 110), performing, via transceiver 316,CCA of a channel of wireless communication between UE 110 and networknode 125 of wireless network 120. Process 400 may proceed from 410 to420.

At 420, process 400 may involve processor 312 transmitting, viatransceiver 316, to network node 125 during a COT within a FFP inresponse to the CCA indicating the channel to be clear for transmission.

In some implementations, in performing the CCA of the channel, process400 may involve processor 312 performing the CCA of the channel beforethe COT and within the FFP.

In some implementations, in performing the CCA of the channel, process400 may involve processor 312 performing certain operations. Forinstance, process 400 may involve processor 312 prepending the COT withone or more observation slots. Additionally, process 400 may involveprocessor 312 sensing the channel using the CCA during the one or moreobservation slots. In such cases, a duration of the one or moreobservation slots may be different than (e.g., less than or equal to) anidle period of the FFP. In some implementations, a number of observationslots of the one or more observation slots may be selected so that theone or more observation slots align with a predefined number of LBEslots.

Alternatively, in performing the CCA of the channel, process 400 mayinvolve processor 312 performing other operations. For instance, process400 may involve processor 312 dividing a pause period in the FFP into afirst number of observation slots. Additionally, process 400 may involveprocessor 312 selecting a second number of the observation slots, withthe second number different than (e.g., less than or equal to or,alternatively, greater than) the first number. Moreover, process 400 mayinvolve processor 312 sensing the channel using the CCA after the secondnumber of observation slots and before the COT. In some implementations,the second number may be in a range of [0, contention window]. In suchcases, the contention window may be different than (e.g., less than orequal to) a maximum idle period expressed as max (100 μs, 5% of theCOT)/n, and n may be 9 μs.

In some implementations, in performing the CCA of the channel, process400 may involve processor 312 prioritizing access to the channel. Inprioritizing the access to the channel, process 400 may involveprocessor 312 performing certain operations. For instance, process 400may involve processor 312 dividing a pause period in the FFP into aplurality of observation slots. Moreover, process 400 may involveprocessor 312 selecting one or more observation slots from the pluralityof observation slots by either: (a) selecting from a random subset ofthe plurality of observation slots; or (b) selecting multipleobservation slots from the plurality of observation slots in whichtransmission is likely. Furthermore, process 400 may involve processor312 sensing the channel using the CCA during the selected one or moreobservation slots.

In some implementations, a duration of the CCA may not exceed an idleperiod of the FFP. In some implementations, the idle period of the FFPmay be either a predefined period of time or a predefined percentage ofthe COT. In such cases, the predefined period of time may be 100 μs andthe predefined percentage of the COT may be 5%.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process 500 in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure. Process 500 may represent anaspect of implementing various proposed designs, concepts, schemes,systems and methods described above, whether partially or entirely,including those pertaining to FIG. 1˜FIG. 3. More specifically, process500 may represent an aspect of the proposed concepts and schemespertaining to a floating frame-based COT in a FFP in mobilecommunications. Process 500 may include one or more operations, actions,or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 510, 520 and 530.Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process 500may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, oreliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Moreover, theblocks/sub-blocks of process 500 may be executed in the order shown inFIG. 5 or, alternatively in a different order. Furthermore, one or moreof the blocks/sub-blocks of process 500 may be executed iteratively.Process 500 may be implemented by or in apparatus 310 and apparatus 320as well as any variations thereof. Solely for illustrative purposes andwithout limiting the scope, process 500 is described below in thecontext of apparatus 310 as a UE (e.g., UE 110) and apparatus 320 as acommunication entity such as a network node or base station (e.g.,network node 125) of a wireless network (e.g., wireless network 120).Process 500 may begin at block 510.

At 510, process 500 may involve processor 312 of apparatus 310,implemented in a FBE (e.g., UE 110), determining a selected number ofobservation slots for CCA before a COT within a FFP. Process 500 mayproceed from 510 to 520.

At 520, process 500 may involve processor 312 performing, viatransceiver 316, the CCA of the channel during the determined number ofobservation slots. Process 500 may proceed from 520 to 530.

At 530, process 500 may involve processor 312 transmitting, viatransceiver 316, during the COT responsive to the CCA indicating thechannel to be clear for transmission.

In some implementations, in determining the selected number ofobservation slots, process 400 may involve processor 312 performing oneof a number of operations. For instance, process 400 may involveprocessor 312 randomly selecting the selected number of observationslots, with the selected number being in a range of [0, contentionwindow]. Alternatively, process 400 may involve processor 312 selectingthe selected number of observation slots in a round-robin manner. Stillalternatively, process 400 may involve processor 312 receiving anassignment of the selected number of observation slots from asupervising device (e.g., UE 130, another UE, or network node 125).

In some implementations, the contention window may be different than(e.g., less than or equal to) a maximum idle period expressed as max(100 μs, 5% of the COT)/n. In such cases, n may be 9 μs.

Additional Notes

The herein-described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

Further, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/orsingular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate fromthe plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, ingeneral, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g.,bodies of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms,e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but notlimited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having atleast,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but isnot limited to,” etc. It will be further understood by those within theart that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation isintended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and inthe absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example,as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may containusage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” tointroduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should notbe construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by theindefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containingsuch introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only onesuch recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductoryphrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as“a” or “an,” e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more;” the same holds true for the use of definitearticles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited,those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at leasttwo recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in thoseinstances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C,etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the senseone having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not belimited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and Ctogether, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” wouldinclude but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those withinthe art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting twoor more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, ordrawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities ofincluding one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. Forexample, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include thepossibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementationsof the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the various implementations disclosed herein are notintended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicatedby the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: performing, by a processorof an apparatus implemented in a frame-based equipment (FBE), clearchannel assessment (CCA) of a channel; and transmitting, by theprocessor, during a channel occupancy time (COT) within a fixed frameperiod (FFP) responsive to the CCA indicating that the channel is clearfor transmission, wherein the CCA is performed before the COT, andwherein both a duration of the CCA and a duration of the COT are withinthe FFP.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the duration of the CCA isless than an idle period of the FFP.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinthe idle period of the FFP is either a predefined period of time or apredefined percentage of the COT.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thepredefined period of time is 100 μs, and wherein the predefinedpercentage of the COT is 5%.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theperforming of the CCA of the channel comprises: prepending the COT withone or more observation slots; and sensing the channel using the CCAduring at least one of the one or more observation slots
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the performing of the CCA of the channel comprises:dividing a pause period in the FFP into a first number of observationslots; selecting a second number of the observation slots, the secondnumber being different than the first number; and sensing the channelusing the CCA after the second number of observation slots and beforethe COT.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second number is in arange of [0, contention window], wherein the contention window isdifferent than a maximum idle period expressed as max (100 μs, 5% of theCOT)/n, and wherein n is 9 μs.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theperforming of the CCA of the channel comprises prioritizing access tothe channel by: dividing a pause period in the FFP into a plurality ofobservation slots; selecting one or more observation slots from theplurality of observation slots by: selecting from a random subset of theplurality of observation slots; or selecting multiple observation slotsfrom the plurality of observation slots in which transmission is likely;and sensing the channel using the CCA during the selected one or moreobservation slots.
 9. A method, comprising: performing, by a processorof an apparatus implemented in a frame-based equipment (FBE), a firstclear channel assessment (CCA) of a channel; transmitting, by theprocessor, during a first channel occupancy time (COT) within a firstfixed frame period (FFP) responsive to the first CCA indicating thechannel to be clear for transmission; performing, by the processor, asecond CCA of the channel; transmitting, by the processor, during asecond COT within a second FFP responsive to the second CCA indicatingthe channel to be clear for transmission, wherein a position of thefirst COT in the first FFP is different than a position of the secondCOT in the second FFP.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein both aduration of performing the first CCA and the first COT are within in thefirst FFP, and the first CCA is performed before the first COT.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein both a duration of the second CCA and aduration of the second COT are within the second FFP, and wherein thesecond CCA is performed before the second COT.
 12. An apparatusimplemented in a frame-based equipment (FBE), comprising: a transceiverconfigured to communicate with at least a network node; and a processorcoupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operationscomprising: performing, via the transceiver, clear channel assessment(CCA) of a channel; and transmitting, via the transceiver, during achannel occupancy time (COT) within a fixed frame period (FFP)responsive to the CCA indicating that the channel is clear fortransmission, wherein the CCA is performed before the COT, and whereinboth a duration of the CCA and a duration of the COT are within the FFP.13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the duration of the CCA is lessthan an idle period of the FFP.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, whereinthe idle period of the FFP is either a predefined period of time or apredefined percentage of the COT.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, whereinthe predefined period of time is 100 μs, and wherein the predefinedpercentage of the COT is 5%.
 16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, inperforming the CCA of the channel, the processor performs operationscomprising: prepending the COT with one or more observation slots; andsensing the channel using the CCA during at least one of the one or moreobservation slots
 17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, in performingthe CCA of the channel, the processor performs operations comprising:dividing a pause period in the FFP into a first number of observationslots; selecting a second number of the observation slots, the secondnumber being different than the first number; and sensing the channelusing the CCA after the second number of observation slots and beforethe COT.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second number is ina range of [0, contention window], wherein the contention window isdifferent than a maximum idle period expressed as max (100 μs, 5% of theCOT)/n, and wherein n μs 9 μs.
 19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein,in performing the CCA of the channel, the processor performs operationscomprising: dividing a pause period in the FFP into a plurality ofobservation slots; selecting one or more observation slots from theplurality of observation slots by: selecting from a random subset of theplurality of observation slots; or selecting multiple observation slotsfrom the plurality of observation slots in which transmission is likely;and sensing the channel using the CCA during the selected one or moreobservation slots.